The Masherupper
The ‘Masherupper’ is a multi-track Max-based sampler that slices and plays multiple recordings in myriad ways. Each sonic input can be sampled and played back differently on any number of tracks simultaneously, thereby enabling the production of multi-dimensional sound panoramas from relatively modest inputs. In performance, the output at any one moment may be responded to by the performer, thus both modifying the performance and simultaneously affecting subsequent output and so on; whilst in the studio the Masherupper may be used both in recording and in post-production to enhance the sonic output.
Backdrop
‘Backdrop’ is an interactive ‘player’ that responds to the playing of a live instrument by a performer by producing a constantly varying sonic accompaniment, based upon continual monitoring of the amplitude of the performer’s playing. Changes in amplitude trigger a range of different effects, such as shifts in pitch, velocity and timbre of both the accompaniment and the instrument. Backdrop is thus more than a simple accompaniment - it is an instrument that responds in a manner that challenges and stimulates the instrumentalist to improvise creatively.
Slice of Pi
Pi is number constant that recurs in the natural world at every level – not just in circular objects like the ripples in a pond or the rings of a tree; but also in fundamental equations such as those of the physics of waves and Heisenberg’s uncertainty principle. Pi is enigmatic – is it long or deep? Simple or complex? Small or large? It is familiar yet alien. Such considerations led me to create this Max device, which can play up to a million digits of pi. Each digit drives seven algorithmically generated sound sequences in a unique and constantly evolving manner. Users can choose how many digits they wish to create and at what speed they are generated.
Cage by Numbers
Cage by Numbers is an improvisational composition creator and player, inspired by John Cage’s ‘Number Pieces’. These comprise sets of time brackets during which a sound, instrument or musical fragment is to be played by one or more players. Cage by Numbers comprises two devices: the Score Creator, which allows the automated creation of a number piece of any duration, for any number of players and using any number of sounds; and the Score Player, which enables each player to play back their own score in synch with other players and to record their output.
After improvising a piece the recorded output may be fed directly into the Masherupper, for example, thereby creating a fun and elaborate composition in just a few minutes.
